Written Answers

Wednesday 20 September 2000

Scottish Executive

Children and Young People

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many secure units for young people were provided in each local authority area in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The number of secure units for young people in Scotland over the last five years was as follows:

  


Local Authority Area


1996


1997


1998


1999


2000




Angus Council1


1


1


1


1


1




City of Edinburgh


2


2


2


2


2




Dumfries and Galloway


1


Nil


Nil


Nil


Nil




East Dunbartonshire2


1


1


1


1


1




Fife Council



















North Ayrshire3


1


1


1


1


1




TOTAL


7


6


6


6


5




  Notes:

  1. Rossie School, near Montrose is operated by an independent organisation.

  2. St Mary’s Kenmure, Bishopbriggs is operated by an independent organisation.

  3. Kerelaw School, Stevenston is managed and operated by Glasgow City Council.

Children and Young People

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were accommodated in secure units in each local authority area in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The total number of admissions to secure units for the last five years was as follows:

  


Year ended 31 March


Number of admissions*




1995


233




1996


225




1997


244




1998


264




1999


265




  *Some children may have been admitted more than once in any one year.

  The local authority breakdown is only available from the start of the current unitary authorities, from 1997, as shown in the table below.

  


Number of admissions* to secure accommodation 
in the year ended 31 March by child’s home local authority





Child’s home local authority


1999


1998


1997




No details available


16


3


6




Aberdeen City


19


16


9




Aberdeenshire


6


4


11




Angus


5


8


9




Argyll & Bute


1


1







Clackmannanshire





2


2




Dumfries & Galloway


3


1


4




Dundee City


13


14


18




East Ayrshire


9


6


4




East Dunbartonshire


1


1


1




East Lothian


1


2


5




East Renfrewshire


4


1







Edinburgh, City of


53


85


64




Falkirk


3


4


3




Fife


10


17


7




Glasgow City


51


33


31




Highland


4


4


3




Inverclyde


1


1


3




Midlothian


3


1


5




Moray





1


5




North Ayrshire


12


6


5




North Lanarkshire


6


6


4




Orkney Islands





2







Perth & Kinross


2


2


11




Renfrewshire


5


15


7




Scottish Borders


5


1


1




South Ayrshire


6


3


2




South Lanarkshire


3


4


4




Stirling


3





3




West Dunbartonshire


6


7


4




West Lothian


12


13


12




Outwith Scotland


2





1




TOTAL


265


264


244




  *Some children may have been admitted more than once in any one year.

Children and Young People

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were assessed as requiring secure accommodation in each local authority area in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Galbraith: This information is not held centrally.

Culture

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken by the Scottish Arts Council to promote the creative industries.

Rhona Brankin: This week the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Enterprise announced their Creative Industries Company Development initiative, an exciting joint programme, delivering a total of £120,000 in support of small Scottish-based record companies and book publishers.

Dental Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the installation of soft drinks and confectionery vending machines in schools would have on its dental health policy and its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Diet Action Plan, "Eating for Health", which sets out the framework for improving Scotland’s diet, highlights the impact of sugary drinks and confectionery on children’s dental health. We are, therefore, continuing to work with health boards, local authorities and dental service providers, through both the Diet Action Plan and the Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland, to implement, as a matter of priority, healthy eating policies in schools and to promote positive oral hygiene practices.

Education

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the extension to special educational needs teaching hours will be brought into effect.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive is currently preparing draft guidance to bring the length of the school week for pupils attending special schools and units into line with that for their counterparts in mainstream schools.

Education

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether schools are to receive extra funding to cover any changes to teachers’ pay and transport contracts following the extension to special educational needs teaching hours.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive is preparing draft guidance on bringing the length of the school week for pupils attending special schools and units into line with that for their counterparts in mainstream schools. CoSLA will be invited to comment on this guidance and to discuss the implications of such a change.

Education

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any approaches have been made to it by the Scottish Pre-school Play Association for additional funding and, if so, when.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Approaches were made to me and my officials in July requesting an addition to the £180,000 grant awarded to the Scottish Pre-school Play Association (SPPA) for the current financial year. No formal application for increased funding has been made. SPPA receives the highest level of grant of any childcare organisation supported by the Scottish Executive.

Elderly People

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to assist pensioners.

Iain Gray: I refer Patricia Ferguson to the answer I gave to question S1O-2270.

Families

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is being given to organisations which support families affected by separation and divorce.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive greatly values the work of organisations supporting families in transition, and is giving a total of £718,395 in the current year to a range of bodies offering mediation and counselling. This is an increase of 40% on the previous year.

Fuel Costs

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent representations it has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the current level of fuel tax and its impact on the Scottish economy.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including that of the impact of fuel costs on the Scottish economy.

Fuel Poverty

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what new measures it is taking to tackle fuel poverty.

Mr Frank McAveety: I would refer to my answer to question S1O-2283.

Health

Mr Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the First Minister what cross-cutting measures have been brought forward to address the impact of housing conditions and the environment on the health of Scotland’s people.

Donald Dewar: Improving life circumstances is a key strategic priority for improving the nation’s health. The Executive recognises that good housing and a clean environment are essential requirements for good health. The £350 million investment announced this week to help install free central heating for pensioners and other vulnerable groups is evidence of the priority the Executive puts on improving the quality of life.

Health

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has held any discussions with Forth Valley Health Board and Tayside Health Board about the future of maternity and paediatric services for people living in the Callander and Dunblane areas.

Susan Deacon: The planning and delivery of health services is a matter primarily for health boards and Trusts. I can confirm, however, that the Scottish Executive meets regularly with health boards – including Forth Valley and Tayside – to learn of their proposals for improving services for patients throughout their areas.

Health

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that hospitals can no longer remove or retain children’s organs without parental consent.

Susan Deacon: I refer to the answer I gave to question S1O-2248, asked by Lord James Douglas-Hamilton.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which health boards have agreed to fund out of area hip resurfacing treatments in the past year and how many such treatments have taken place.

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which health boards have refused requests for out of area hip resurfacing treatments in the past year and how many such requests have been refused.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is not available centrally.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS hospitals currently offer hip resurfacing treatment.

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hip resurfacing treatments have been undertaken by the NHSiS and from which health board areas patients have been referred.

Susan Deacon: Between April 1997 and March 2000, the National Acute Hospital Database has recorded 10 hip resurfacing episodes, of which nine were undertaken between April 1999 and March 2000. All 10 episodes took place in hospitals in the Tayside, Lothian and Greater Glasgow Health Board areas. The database does not identify hospitals that are currently offering this treatment.

  Information about the area from which patients have been referred for hip resurfacing treatment is not available centrally.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the effectiveness of hip resurfacing treatment will be evaluated and what the timescale is for any such evaluation.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive has no immediate plans to evaluate formally the effectiveness of hip resurfacing treatment. It remains the responsibility of local clinicians to monitor the effectiveness of all relevant health care, supported by audit and advice from Health Technology Board for Scotland, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and other relevant bodies.

Homelessness

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take in the light of the 40% rise in applications for housing made in North Ayrshire under homeless persons legislation between 1996-97 and 1998-99, reported in Statistical Bulletin: Housing Series HSG/2000/S.

Jackie Baillie: Since these applications were recorded, the Executive has established the Homelessness Task Force, which I chair, to consider the causes of homelessness and to make recommendations on improving legislation and services. We have already accepted the interim recommendations of the task force for changes to the homelessness legislation to increase the duties of local authorities and registered social landlords towards homeless people, and to increase the rights of homeless people under the legislation. These amendments will be taken forward in the forthcoming Housing Bill.

  We have also increased funding for the Rough Sleepers Initiative to £40 million in the period 1997 to 2002, and have provided additional funding this year to stop the inappropriate use of bed and breakfast as temporary accommodation.

Influenza

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage the take-up of flu vaccinations.

Susan Deacon: On 17 September I launched the Executive’s publicity campaign, to encourage uptake of influenza vaccination in 2000-01 – press release 2476/2000 refers.

  In addition, in recognition of the additional workload on general practices and to encourage uptake of vaccination in the community, the Executive has agreed a remuneration package for GPs with representatives of the British Medical Association in Scotland.

  We have also set GPs an uptake target of 60% for those aged 65 years and over.

Mental Health

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the aim of reducing suicides is not undermined by any shortage of resources in health boards and social work departments.

Iain Gray: Any resource implications that arise from Scottish Executive policies on suicide prevention will be identified and acted upon. Indeed, the Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland , published in 1997, which offers best practice in the organisation of care and preventative measures, already recognises the isolation that can lead to suicide attempts and encourages health boards and their partner care agencies to organise appropriate services to match needs, for example, programmes of assertive outreach that ensure continuing contact with those considered at risk. We remain determined to tackle suicide through both specific and general measures.

  However, health boards and social work departments are not the only agents involved in achieving a reduction in the number of suicides in Scotland. An individual’s decision to commit suicide is dependent on a large number of social, economic, personal, and psychological factors. The Scottish Executive agenda to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland is intended to tackle such factors and to reduce this tragic loss of life.

Ministerial Correspondence

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice will reply to my letter of 22 June 2000 regarding Ms L Cohn of Peterhead which was transferred from the Lord Advocate’s office on 4 July 2000.

Mr Jim Wallace: I regret that due to an administrative error, no response was issued to the member’s letter. A reply has now been sent.

Roads

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to reconsider its position regarding funding of the M74 extension in the light of recent representations.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what response it plans to make to the request from Glasgow City Council that it provide funds for the completion of the M74 Northern Extension.

Sarah Boyack: The report took eight months to prepare and reached me only on 12 September. Given the scale of the project and enormity of the costs, I need more than eight days to respond.

Scottish Executive Staff

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is towards employees who smoke and what facilities it provides for staff who smoke at its Victoria Quay and St Andrew’s House locations.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive has a formal policy on smoking in the workplace which is available on its Intranet and in hard copy. The main thrust of the policy is to discourage smoking due to its detrimental effects on health. The Scottish Executive makes special provision for smokers as a concession, by permitting smoking in designated areas. The Executive provides a smoking room for staff use in each of its major buildings, including both Victoria Quay and St Andrew’s House.

Security Industry

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to begin consultation on the regulation of the security industry in Scotland.

Mr Jim Wallace: We aim to issue a consultation paper before the end of this year.

Social Services

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in implementing the proposals in Aiming for Excellence and how this progress is being communicated to the social services workforce.

Iain Gray: We have made significant progress. Following consultation early in the year we published our detailed proposals for legislation in July. These proposals form the basis for the Regulation of Care Bill which we will be bringing before Parliament later this year.

  We have, in conjunction with CoSLA, published two newsletters for staff informing them of the progress we have made. These newsletters have been widely distributed to ensure that all key staff are aware of the proposed changes. The most recent edition was sent out last month following the publication of our legislative proposals, and further editions are planned as work progresses.

Telecommunications

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in introducing measures which will require all new ground-based telecommunication masts to be subject to full planning controls.

Sarah Boyack: I intend to issue draft regulations and a draft National Planning Policy Guideline for consultation next month.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9009 by Henry McLeish on 5 September 2000, why it expects that an increase in the number of liquid petroleum gas outlets would have a positive impact on tourism and, in particular, what assumptions underpin this expectation and whether it will quantify the extent of the expected positive impact.

Henry McLeish: Greater availability of LPG will increase choice for the visitor, and will encourage the option of LPG vehicles. Increased usage of LPG will result in reduced costs and could therefore encourage visitors to travel more widely within Scotland. Tourists from countries where LPG is particularly popular will be more likely to visit.

  The extent of the impact of LPG on the tourism industry has not been quantified, but I have asked the STB to undertake research.

Transport

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a list of all applications made to the Public Transport Fund including the Net Present Values claimed for them.

Sarah Boyack: Twenty-six bids have been made to the third round of the Public Transport Fund for projects commencing in 2001-02. The projects are listed in the table below.

  The size and nature of the projects varies markedly. Some of the relatively small projects have not provided a detailed analysis of all the elements needed to estimate the Net Present Value (NPV) of the project. The economic appraisal (and hence the NPV) is only one of the criteria the Executive takes into account when assessing bids to the Public Transport Fund. The assessment considers each bid against the Government’s five criteria of economy, integration, safety, accessibility and the environmental impacts.

  


Authority


Project




Aberdeenshire


Enhanced Rail Services between Inverurie 
- Aberdeen - Stonehaven




Argyll and Bute


Cycleways - Helensburgh and Lomond




Clackmannanshire


Integrating Rail into Alloa




Dumfries & Galloway


Stranraer Integrated Transport Package




Dundee City


North West Arterial Corridor




East Ayrshire


Cycling and Walking Facilities in 
Kilmarnock




East Dunbartonshire


Creation of a Local Travel Pattern 
Database




East Lothian 


Musselburgh Public Transport Spine




East Renfrewshire


Cycling and Walking Facilities in 
East Renfrewshire




Edinburgh City


A Quality Bus Network for the 21st 
Century




Eilean Siar


Sound of Barra Ferry Service




Falkirk


Camelon Park and Ride and Visitor 
Access to the Falkirk Wheel




Fife


Markinch Railway Station Improvement 
and Dedicated Bus Link Between Leven and Glenrothes via Markinch




Glasgow City


Quality Bus Corridors




Highland


Inverness & Aviemore Transport 
Interchanges




Inverclyde


Gourock Integrated Transport Interchange




Midlothian


Edinburgh to Penicuik Rail Link




North Ayrshire


Quality Bus Corridor




Orkney Islands


Instrument Landing System at Orkney 
Airport




Perth & Kinross


Perth Transport Plan Commuter Cycle 
Routes, Phase 1 and Broxden Park and Ride




Renfrewshire


Integrated Package of sustainable 
transport improvements to improve access to Inchinnan Business 
Park and Glasgow Airport




Scottish Borders


Waverley Railway Procurement of Parliamentary 
Order




South Ayrshire


South Ayrshire Integrated Transport 
Partnership




South Lanarkshire


Rutherglen Town Centre Genuine Travel 
Choices




Strathclyde Passenger Transport


Multi-Modal Information 




West Lothian


Extension of the City of Edinburgh 
Rapid Transit (CERT) into West Lothian

Transport

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how much is to be spent on the City of Edinburgh Rapid Transit guided bus infrastructure and from what source, and how many kilometres of guideway it will provide.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive does not hold information on the cost of the bus infrastructure part of the CERT scheme which is the responsibility of the City of Edinburgh Council as the local roads authority. Capital allocations of £15 million have been made available from the Transport Challenge Fund and the council is also seeking private finance for the project which is estimated to cost £49 million.

  The CERT guided busway is about nine kilometres in length.

Transport

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of providing one kilometre of (a) a guided busway route and (b) a Greenway bus priority lane.

Sarah Boyack: The information requested is not held centrally.

Voluntary Sector

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Sure Start funding was given to voluntary organisations in 1999-2000 and what the allocation is in the current financial year.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive has identified funding of £9 million in 1999-2000 and £14 million in the current year to support the Sure Start Scotland initiative. This funding has been allocated to local authorities. Guidance issued by the Scottish Executive asks local authorities to involve voluntary organisations with relevant expertise in both the planning and delivery of services that will best meet local needs.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer whether information on cost estimates, the value of let contracts and risk assessment and value management exercises in respect of the Holyrood Project is routinely provided to the MSPs on the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body.

Sir David Steel: Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two bodies, the Holyrood Progress Group is required to provide the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body with detailed monthly reports on progress and expenditure. The latest cost estimates and the value of let contracts are included in the reports as would be the outcome of any "risk assessment" or "value management" exercises. The Chairman of the HPG reported to the SPCB on 19 September.

Holyrood Project

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer,  further to his statement in his answer to question S1W-4753 on 10 March 2000 that "details of the amount of fees to all the professional consultants are commercially confidential" why the Spencely Report was able to reveal the estimated value of professional fees for the Holyrood Project.

Sir David Steel: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body regards details of the amount of fees paid to professional consultants as commercially confidential since the publication of such information could prejudice consultants’ legitimate commercial interests and impede fair competition between them and their competitors. Disclosure would be in breach of the individual tender agreements and could not be made without the agreement of the firms involved. The Spencely report correctly treated the individual fee amounts as commercially confidential, whilst indicating a total figure for professional fees.